What Happens

Will I have to fill in any forms?

Upon arrival at a blood donation session, you will be required to fill in the form to ensure the safety of yourself and also to ensure the safety of the patients who will be receiving the blood.

What information will i need to provide?

The information you'll need to provide will be personal, so there are going to be questions, such as, "Have you had a tattoo within the last six months? Are you pregnant? Do you have HIV?" Those kind of questions. All these questions will be held in the strictest confidence. And our primary concern for these questions are for your concern as a donor. Make sure everything is healthy. Also to ensure that the blood that we're taking is healthy, and that it will be passed on and be safe for patients to have. You can find out some more information as to the questions that you will be asked on our website.

Will I be asked lots of questions?

Upon arrival you will be required to fill in a form which will ask you some personal questions. You'll also speak to the nurse, who will give you some questions regarding your blood donation. But our primary concern with this is to insure the health of you as a donor, and also to insure the health of the blood that we will be receiving, to insure that the patient who will be receiving it will be receiving healthy blood.

Can I bring a friend?

You can definitely bring a friend with you. The more people that come along, the merrier. We do campaign every day to get more blood donors forward. Bring a friend with you, by all means. If you're interested in having somebody to give you a little support or maybe to drive you home, that's okay too.

Will I have a blood test?

Upon arrival, after you have registered with the nurse you will be given a blood test which is taken through a drop of blood on your finger. That will be used to check the haemoglobin levels in your blood.

Will it hurt?

Most people say that blood donating doesn't hurt and they liken it to a little scratch, so that should not be something that should put you off giving blood.

Where is the blood taken from?

The blood donation itself is taken from the arm, so you will receive a blood test from your finger. The blood donation is actually taken from the arm itself while you are lying down on a donating table.

How much blood will be taken?

When you give a blood donation, 470 ml are taken, which is just under a pint. This equates to one blood unit.

How long will it take?

The whole process of giving blood should take around an hour. But the actual blood donation itself should take between 5 to 10 minutes, and you'll also be given some time after the blood donation to relax where you'll be offered snacks and refreshments to recover.

What will happen after I have given blood?

After you've given blood, you'll be shown to our waiting room where you'll be offered refreshments, some light snacks and you'll be given some time to relax and then you can get back to your daily life.